Curtain Call - the conclusion
by Dana E. Vassy
Summary: A trip to London, a kidnapped actress and an evil hamster like villain. Hell, even some romance cuz I luv ya!


Title: Curtain Call (6/6)  
Author: Dana E. Vassy  
Rating: PG 13, although some scenes are more harrowing   
than others.  
Category: Story, MSR, non-episodic.  
Spoilers: Slight Pusher and Duane Barry, nothing much   
else.  
Disclaimer: Mulder, Scully and Skinner are the property   
of CC, 1013 and Fox. No profit being made. Sunset   
Boulevard, the musical is copyright of the Really Useful   
Group, based on an idea by Billy Wilder. I won't do any   
damage, and although I never actually paid for my   
tickets, please let me play... Mary, I now own your   
family, just try to sue me.. Marion, Annabelle, Joel and   
other incidentals you don't recognise are my own   
creation.  
Feedback: Send me it, or I'll hurt you like that beast   
woman, Mulder. You get the point.   
scullys_no_slut@viceprez.fsnet.co.uk  
Distribution: Anywhere and everywhere, just drop me a   
line at the above addy first...  
Thanks to: Mary and her mad ideas on Yahoo. And   
Nickerless the human air timetable.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Mulder and Scully, in transit  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Having alerted the police, Mulder had dragged Scully and   
Myra to the car. He wasn't insured for it, but drove   
anyway, ignoring Myra's protestations. His theory was   
that Joel had gone to the warehouse his family owned,   
since their wealth had been so central to his life. It   
was what caused him grief from his peers, but also his   
source of power and money. There was still no sign of   
either the daughter or the ex-husband.   
  
Mulder halted his train of thought about Brightman's   
mental faculties. He had a more important problem to   
address.  
  
"Scully, I want to apologise."  
  
She turned to face him with a more than sceptical gaze.   
  
"What for Mulder? They needed your help. Our help."  
  
"For everything. Being an ass in general. For ruining   
your holiday, for snapping at you about the King and I,   
and for breaking my promise to take you to dinner. That,   
and all the other stuff I still deserve to feel guilty   
about."  
  
"Well, I forgive you. I hope you know I always will,   
we can't change the past. And everything is as much to   
do with me as you – we're a team. You can unbreak that   
promise later."  
  
He smiled contentedly, causing Scully's heart to miss a   
beat. She loved making him happy, even though it was   
slightly against her feminist principles to be concerned   
with that. As Myra squirmed in the back seat, they were   
painfully reminded that it wasn't over yet.   
  
* * * * * * * * * *   
Maru's warehouse  
* * * * * * * * * *  
If Marion had been shocked before, she was almost   
destroyed by the sight of her daughter before her. The   
daughter she had left behind to pursue her acting career.   
It hadn't been easy, but they were on their way to   
reconciliation after fifteen years. And as fifteen years   
of guilt came cascading down on her, and Marion felt the   
stinging tears despite her certainty that no fluid   
remained in her body. Annabelle was a striking contrast   
to Marion in appearance, but had her nose, and the same   
determined set in her jaw. Apparently not dazed, she was   
horrified at her mother being held like this.  
  
Looking around, she could see no one to explain what was   
happening. Annabelle could not remember how she came to   
be in this dingy building, only that she was stiff and   
bruised. Someone was watching her, she could feel an   
invasive presence around her. Setting her gaze once more   
on her mother, she was met by a look of weary panic. Her   
instinct was to rush up and free the older woman from her   
restraints, but something was holding her back. As   
though her mother were warding her away. But was that   
just paranoia, borne of countless years of rejection?   
Marion hated to be vulnerable, especially in front of the   
daughter who idolised and hated her in turn. Annabelle   
was vaguely aware of a commotion outside, as she felt her   
feet moving her unwittingly closer to her mother.  
  
Annabelle felt her mind become foggy, like a damp night   
on the Thames she loved to stare out of her mother's   
window at. A dark, almost liquid quality consumed the   
air she was breathing, and before her eyes the room was   
moving slightly. Fighting back nausea, all she could see   
were the swimming grey eyes of Marion. Filled with   
dread, anxiety and about another thousand emotions she   
couldn't identify. But there was love, unmistakeable   
amongst the urgency and compassion. For the first time,   
Annabelle accepted that her mum did love her, no matter   
what the past said to the contrary. And she stopped.   
Overcome with the emotion of her discovery, she stopped.  
  
As she did, the door to the warehouse burst open. Two   
strangers lead the charge, followed by a horde of police   
officers and 'Aunt' Myra. Chaos reined, and Annabelle   
had little sense of what happened as she saw Marion slump   
to the floor.  
  
Scully rushed to the motionless form of Tom, sprawled on   
the floor about two feet in front of Marion. As she did,   
Mulder freed the restraints on Marion's wrist, trying to   
motivate her circulation. Joel was led away by the swarm   
of police officers, his skin a sickly pallor and his hair   
soaked with sweat. His revenge had taken its toll.   
Unfortunately, it had been a much worse strain on Marion   
and Tom.  
  
"He's alive, just unconscious. Mulder?"  
  
"Her breathing is weak. Heartbeat erratic. Get over   
here, Scully."  
  
Behind them, Annabelle burst into tears. Surely now,   
after all they had endured – happiness wasn't going to be   
snatched away? It seemed that happy endings really only   
did happen in the theatre.  
  
* * * * * * *   
Epilogue  
* * * * * * *  
  
"Two days left, Mulder. And you still owe me   
dinner."  
  
Mulder looked up from his newspaper. His smug grim   
implied he had it all in hand.  
  
"It's 7:30. care to join me, Ms Scully?"  
  
"Certainly."  
  
"Taxi's waiting downstairs."  
  
Mulder gazed appreciatively at his partner as she   
gathered up her bag and coat. She had chosen the red   
dress on purpose, he was sure. She had the sole   
intention of making him dribble his food, the evil woman.   
Little did he know how difficult coherent speech was when   
presented with the sight of him in a dinner suit.  
  
On the way to the restaurant, they discussed the 'case'   
they had wrapped up. Mulder seemed glad about the   
brownie points it would earn them back home. And to make   
matters worse, expenses were minmal, all 'taken care of'   
with worrying the Bureau. They had helped, that was what   
counted. Although a week of sleeping on the sofa was   
beginning to tell on his back. His own couch at home was   
far more comfortable. As usual Scully followed his   
smugness with her usual factual analysis, only this time   
with a slight smile on her lips.  
  
"I'm glad Marion pulled through. It was touch-and-go   
on the way to the hospital. Tom's been ordered to take a   
holiday apparently. But he's waiting to take her with   
him."  
  
Mulder's eyebrows arched at this.  
  
"A reconciliation? I guess we did more than lock up a   
wacko then."  
  
Scully paused, apparently lost in thought. After a   
moment, she continued.  
  
"Yeah. It was sort of touching, the way they all   
realised how much they meant to each other. It's hardly   
an ideal situation, but it gave them a sharp reminder how   
sad it would be to lose..."  
  
Mulder stopped her short by brushing his hand across her   
perfectly made-up cheek.  
  
"They weren't the only ones who learned something,   
Scully."  
  
"But Mulder...I, what do you mean?"  
  
"I won't bore you with confessions of undying love.   
We're too old, and hopefully too sensible to gush like   
lovestruck teens. But I want you to consider tonight our   
first official date."  
  
Dumbstruck, Scully could do little more than gape as they   
pulled up at the Mirabelle. It felt as though she might   
be floating as Mulder guided her inside, to an intimate   
little corner. Other diners gave them no more than a   
disinterested glance, and carried on in their own   
personal parties. As soon, as the waiter managed to   
squeeze a drink order out of them both, Mulder reached   
across the table to take Scully's daintier hands in his.  
  
"Dana Scully, you are the single most delightful woman   
I have ever known. You make me happier than I deserve.   
And what's more, you don't even expect to be thanked for   
it.  
  
"Well, this is thank you. I love you, plain and   
simple. I'm tired of hiding behind protocol and fear of   
rejection. I just want a chance to make you happy."  
  
"Mulder, this is so unexpected...How could you think   
I would reject you? Did you assume I tagged along with   
you all these years just to pick up my paycheck? Yes, it   
was friendship, but it became so much more. I'm only   
worried, that well, it might go wrong. Everything else   
in my life seems to."  
  
"It won't if I can help it, I promise you. Now, do   
you want to be my girlfriend? Pretty please?" The   
boyish joviality in his voice was beyond merely   
endearing.   
  
Scully's eyes shone as she looked at him again. But for   
The first time in a long time, it was due to happiness   
and hope; not tears anymore.  
  
"How can I resist you when you're so damn cute?"  
  
And together, they began the rest of their lives. Step   
by step, but most importantly, very much together.  



End file.
